easyMultiple Choice
300-410 Practice Question: The default administrative distance for OSPF…
What is the default administrative distance for OSPF routes on a Cisco IOS-XE router?
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
110
The default administrative distance for OSPF is 110.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
90
Why it's wrong here
90 is the default administrative distance for EIGRP internal routes, not OSPF. It is tempting because both are interior gateway protocols, but OSPF's default sits at 110, so this value would misrepresent OSPF in route selection.
- ✗
100
Why it's wrong here
100 is the default administrative distance for IGRP, a legacy protocol, not OSPF. It is tempting because it sits close to OSPF's real value, but OSPF defaults to 110 on Cisco IOS-XE, so this figure is wrong.
- ✓
110
Why this is correct
OSPF's default administrative distance on Cisco IOS-XE is 110, satisfying the stem's request for the default value. Administrative distance ranks route sources by trustworthiness; OSPF's 110 sits above EIGRP's 90 and below RIP's 120, so IOS-XE prefers OSPF over RIP but defers to EIGRP when both advertise the same prefix.
- ✗
120
Why it's wrong here
120 is the default administrative distance for RIP, not OSPF. OSPF's default is 110. The value 120 is correct when the question asks about RIP routes on a Cisco IOS-XE router, so it fails this OSPF-specific scenario.
Visual reference
Quick reference
Routing Protocol Comparison
| Protocol | Metric | Max Hops | Algorithm | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RIP v2 | Hop count | 15 | Bellman-Ford | Distance vector |
| OSPF | Cost (bandwidth) | Unlimited | Dijkstra (SPF) | Link state |
| EIGRP | Composite metric | Unlimited | DUAL | Hybrid |
| IS-IS | Cost | Unlimited | Dijkstra | Link state |
| BGP | Policy / attributes | Unlimited | Path vector | Path vector |
RIP's 15-hop limit makes it unsuitable for large networks. OSPF and EIGRP dominate modern enterprise deployments.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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